1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a closed water system incubator with sonication and at least one substrate platform. The invention further relates to the use of the incubator in the field of aquaculture as an effective means to avoid pathogens which reduce the productivity of commercial fish production.
2. Description of the Related Art
Due to the decline of natural salmon (Fam. Salmonidae) over the past 50 years, more and more salmonid species are kept in aquaculture to meet global demand. Effectively, on account of the proximity of the fish to one another in typical aquaculture settings, pathogenic fungi are on the rise, attacking both fish and fish eggs and the other stages of fish development.
Focusing more on fish eggs rather than adult fish and other stages of fish development, high concentrations of formalin (1000 to 2000 mg/l for 15 minutes) are typically used to control fungal infections on salmonid eggs. Formalin is considered an excellent fungicide for use in tanks and aquaria, but its use in ponds is discouraged because it chemically removes oxygen from the water. Nonetheless, a more natural approach to fish farming would not only avoid and alleviate disease-inducing factors, but also avoid the use of fungicides like formalin which are often associated with a number of risks, such as mutagenic and teratogenic potential.
Many salmonid egg incubation methods utilize conjoined cassette assemblies which can accommodate for example, about 2,500 Coho Salmon eggs. Known cassette assemblies are loaded with fertilized eggs and anchored in the stream gravel. Consequently, the assemblies are continually covered by the flow of the stream water passing through the gravel and the cassette cells. The problem with these types of incubation methods is the lack of control of the volume and temperature of the stream's water flow, plus they are subject to natural disasters such as flash flooding.
Accordingly, in the field of aquaculture and salmonid egg incubation, there is an increased need for an efficient means of avoiding and controlling fish pathogens without resorting to the use of chemical fungicides, while providing an overall incubation environment that can be carefully controlled, monitored and adjusted.
Incubators relevant to this disclosure are discussed in the following U.S. Patents, which are hereby incorporated by reference: U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,159,009; 4,742,798; 4,998,505; and 5,156,111.